EMBRACING THE AI OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER SERVE YOUR CLIENTS

Artificial intelligence. It’s a topic that has been next to impossible to get away from over the last several years. From conferences, to summits, to seminars to webinars, the topic of AI and how to properly integrate it into your business operations has been extremely prevalent, and frankly, you may be tired of hearing about it. However, in this article, it’s my intention to shift the AI conversation – away from lofty AI strategies and abstract applications – to what’s happening now. AI is no longer theoretical; it’s in practice, and if you’re not employing it in your organization, then you’re already behind.

Until now, you may have been part of the crowd that’s been resistant to change, waiting for others to be the brave pioneers while you sat back and watched. You might even have had good reasons for delay, such as security or efficacy concerns. While protecting customers’ personally identifiable information (PII) and gaining real operational advantage are critical, solutions already exist that deliver both. Not only do they exist, but your competition is already using them. Yes, even in the PEO industry – AI is changing the world.

PEOs who ignore deploying AI open a gap between themselves and their competition that gets wider every day until they act. Their competition becomes more profitable, allowing them to reinvest those profits. Additionally, their operational advantage enables them to offer lower prices and thereby win more business. As AI-enabled PEOs gain market share, opportunities shrink for those left behind. By rejecting AI entirely, companies make their businesses vulnerable to being overtaken by other PEOs who have better positioned themselves.

As a high-touch business like a PEO, you may be concerned that AI will take away the biggest factor that sets you apart from some of your technology-based competitors: your customer service. The opposite is true. By strategically incorporating these technologies into your operations, you can have more time to invest in your business and client relationships. One example of this would be introducing an AI login assistant built to help clients and their employees with the most repetitive tasks like resetting their password. By doing something as simple as that, you can cut down on dozens, if not hundreds, of calls to your representatives. Answering this kind of call doesn’t add to your white-glove customer service edge, and it takes time and focus away from other calls that can showcase your team’s unique benefits or regulatory knowledge, care and competence. The time you gain from efficiencies can’t be overstated; it can be reinvested, either into proactively reaching out to clients, addressing client issues and requests, or attending to neglected projects within your business.

The biggest current opportunity for AI in your organization – and PEOs specifically – is found in payroll processing. This shouldn’t surprise you, as payroll has historically been one of the most complex and error-prone areas of the PEO operational framework. While tools exist to help with this endeavor, you should first inquire if any AI tools have been built into your current PEO software to support and streamline operations. When the AI is native to your provider, it can ensure that your clients’ valuable data is safe, not tossed into unknown, untrusted and unsecure hands. Native AI can lead to much faster payroll processing time and early fraud and error detection. Plus, the right tool can empower PEO users to approach their clients with errors the application has caught, increasing the sense of high-touch service and growing the confidence and trust their clients have in their PEO.

PEOs need to stop trying to weather the storm of AI, afraid of disrupting their organizations or investing in new and unknown technology. That’s a sinking ship. Instead, it’s time for PEOs to adjust their sails and lean into the winds of change, letting the current propel them forward to greater growth and productivity. If you’re a PEO, take stock of your organization for areas of greatest impact – I mentioned two above: fielding login-related calls and payroll processing – and then, after that audit is complete, take action. Search for AI and automation tools that’ll let you regain time to reinvest into your clients, starting by inquiring within your PEO software platform. Are there tools you’re not taking advantage of? Is your software setting you up for long-term success in an AI world? Can it keep up with changing client expectations and your competitors who have doubled their productivity? Ask all these questions. Depending on the answers, you may discover tools that already exist within your software that your team needs to take full advantage of and get trained on. Regardless of your software provider or how you choose to deploy AI, it’s time to act.

The question of AI and automation may seem intimidating, but inaction is not the answer. Utilize this technological gift, streamline your operations, and give your customers even more love and attention. Don’t let the opportunity AI provides pass you by – go for it. By choosing to leverage AI, you can armor your organization, equipping your team with time-saving tools and resources to ensure not only your PEO’s survival, but your long-term success.